Metal! Booze! Party! Yeah!

As we nurse the kind of hangover that could down an elephant after consuming a reservoir of booze (including shots on the train. Who thought that was a good idea?), it’s fair to say that Hammerfest is well and truly underway.

After arriving at just gone eight o’clock, Hammer enters the second stage room to be greeted by a room full of rockers, hot ladies dressed as Spartans and loud, heavy fucking metal. Beholder are up first, frontman ensures things off to a riotous start. One thing’s for certain, the readers of Hammer know how to party and Beholder do an awesome job of getting things off to a kick-ass start.

Arthemis are up next. Italians are more famed for their designer facial hair and cuisine than their metal but the musicianship and vocals on display are perfect drinking fodder. We mentioned that they serve booze here, right? Good, good.

Liverpool may not exactly be a hot-bed of thrash metal talent but SSS can hold their own with the best of the UK thrashers. One suspects that global domination may not be on the cards for the boys but this isn’t the time for stroking your chin and worrying about such things, this is the time to party and party we do. Am I starting to sound like Andrew WK’s Twitter feed? Sorry, it’s just we came to party. Hard.

Gentlemen’s Pistols were a stunning addition to tonight’s proceedings. Dressing like the dudes from the 118 adverts isn’t big nor clever but when it’s backed up by big beards and bigger riffs, their retro sound is ideal chugging music. Come back again, guys, that was rad.

The rest of the night is something of a hazy blur. We remember standing in a circle and screaming the words to Dividian, Bring The Noise and Dead Skin Mask and I’m pretty sure I tried to recreate the scene from Every Time I Die’s Shit Happens DVD where they make each other pass out with Scuzz TV Digital Darkside legend Alex Herron, but if the police ask, it wasn’t me and you can’t prove anything.

Same again tonight? Oh, go on then…